Metrics Background

The City Health Dashboard allows you to see where cities across the U.S. stand on over 35 measures of health and factors affecting health across five areas: Health Behaviors, Social and Economic Factors, Physical Environment, Health Outcomes, and Clinical Care. These categories align with those used in the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a well-known program that provides health data at the county level.

Data come from federal, state, and other datasets with rigorous standards for collection and analysis. The Dashboard team chose these measures, with guidance from a City Advisory Committee, because cities can act on them, they were collected within the last four years, they are updated regularly, and they are backed by evidence. Below, you will find information on each metric including a metric description, data source, years of data, how the measure is calculated, and a link to more information.